The invention concerns a jointed electronic watch comprising at least two watch-cases coupled by an articulation each of said cases comprising a back cover, a case-band and a seal arranged between the back cover and said case-band.
A jointed watch is already known from the German utility model No. 1 974 325 which describes a bracelet in which the links may comprise a watch and a mechanical counter. More recent realizations have disclosed wrist-watches comprising a principal case and links which enclose push-buttons or a battery.
British Pat. No. 1,574,730 describes an electronic watch provided with hollow links containing control members and a battery. These links are realized in plastic and are molded in a single piece with the case-band of the principal watch-case itself closed by a crystal and a back cover. An electrically conducting film connects the control members and the battery to the circuits of the watch by passing through the interior of the joints situated between the case-band and the first link and between the links themselves, such articulations being formed by a thinning down of the plastic material at this location. Such construction, although having the advantage of assuring a good sealing between the case and the links is not adapted to provide an aesthetically satisfying aspect from the fact of utilizing plastic material.
The arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,706 shows a battery which is lodged in a link of plastic material of a metallic bracelet. The connection between the battery and the watch circuits is realized by means of elastic tongues of which the extremities are located in a contact pin. Such contact pin is engaged through the case-band bezel with the contact terminals thus providing a plug-in contact. If the described construction aims above are to obtain an easy replacement of the battery, it cannot be applied to an articulated watch as set forth in the present invention since it requires too much space should more than two conductors be necessary.
Numerous other solutions have been proposed in order to enter a watch-case with electric conductors. Thus, in French Pat. No. 1 137 844 where the energy source is found within the bracelet, there has been shown means to couple said source to the electrical circuit of the watch. It will be noted however that no means has been provided to assure sealing of the watch where the conductors pass therethrough. It may be determined in particular that such conductors are sandwiched between two surfaces, this being insufficient to provide a good sealing.
Within a search report has been cited U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,207. The article described therein is characterized by a seal comprising a first elastic joint assuring the sealing of the case of the watch and a coupling towards the exterior of the latter realized in an elastic and flexible conductive material. However, in contrast to what is taught by the present invention and as will appear in the following, the seal described in the cited patent has not been made in a single piece at the point at which it is desirable to isolate the conductors from the metallic portions of the various components of the watch case (see FIGS. 8 and 9 of the cited document). Moreover, the proposed arrangement renders impossible the utilization of a printed circuit having multiple conductors therein which may be directly soldered onto the internal components of the watch. In the cited patent effectively, the connections (limited to two) are realized by supporting the contact members on the current conductors which are elastic. Such a form of connection is undesirable, above all for conducting current from the battery since it brings about an appreciable voltage drop. Thus, the advantageous arrangements which will be described hereinafter and are illustrated in particular by FIGS. 2a and 2b are neither described nor even suggested in the cited patent.
The present invention proposes to overcome the cited drawbacks and describes an arrangement which assures a sealed passage of the conductors from one case to the other of an articulated watch thanks to the claimed means.